The Brontes Went to Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson, 188 pages1930s Mini-Challenge; 20-10 Challenge: Book Bought New in 2010
Oh, how times have changed! When one of the sisters, Deidre, finally meets one of the people she and her family have imagined knowing for years, Judge Toddington and his wife take it in stride, with a somewhat bemused attitude. The fact that Deidre knows where Toddy ate yesterday, about their servants, and has had 'conversations' with them does not strike them at as odd. Today, we'd be screaming stalker, and blocking their Facebook access.Granted, Toddy and his wife seem to need the Carne sisters and their mother to liven up their lives. I'm just saying, it takes a complete time adjustment to imagine a world where this behaviour would be considered just 'eccentric.'
Another time warp effect was the table knocking and ghosts. In the early part of the 1900s, seances and the occult were very fascinating, so I can see why it would be found in a book written in 1931. However, I found this aspect a touch harder to understand. Again though, Toddy and the Carnes envelope this reality seamlessly into their lives. But the poor governess! Her belief in reality, like most of us when we aren't reading books, is mocked and made fun of. She really just was trying to teach the Sheil and protect her from what she felt was odd behaviour.
Deidre, her mother, and the other sisters live an idyllic life and this book was a sweet, humorous look at a different time, 1930s London, with imaginative, and unique characters. I'm not sure what I expected when I read it, but it was different from that. Maybe reading it soon after seeing Toy Story 3 allowed me to appreciate the whimsical. People who can live so happily in their imaginations, like Andy and Bonnie in the movie and the Carnes in the book, can make a less imaginative person envious.
also reviewed by:
chris at book-a-rama
katherine at a girl walks into a bookstore
jenny at jenny's books
nymeth at things mean a lot
